Interlude
by JustAnotherNinetiesBitch
Summary: The interlude between the season two finale and season three premiere. How did Patrick and Victoria form such a close bond? [Picture credit; Jess]
1. The Reunion

"Patrick?"

The tremble in her fingers allowed the tumblr to slip to the floor like quicksand and its abrupt smash sent shards of glass spiralling in every direction, yet Victoria barely noticed the sharp prick to her ankle. Even in her wildest dreams, Victoria never dared to imagine the kind of undeniable bond she instantly shared with the familiar stranger before her. Inevitably drawn to him, consumed by the vision of him, she failed to recognise the tender trickle of blood seep to the floor and mix with what little Brandy had lingered behind in the broken tumblr.

The foreshadow of his smile quickly fell from promise as the wound caught his eye. "You're bleeding." The words snapped Victoria from her daze and she tilted her ankle for a clearer observation. "Here, let me help you." Before she had much opportunity to brush off the flesh wound, Patrick steadied her balance and guided her inside.

A lucky guess permitted him to discover the kitchen first, where he helped her to the nearest seat and Victoria became breathless as she reconciled the moment. "Thank you."

"Where do you keep the first aid kit?"

She vaguely pointed across the kitchen, to the row of white cupboards above the marble counters. "The cupboard on the left. It should be on the top shelf." He scanned the shelf and reached inside to pluck the red box out and place it on the counter before him. An anti-septic wipe in one hand and band aid in the opposite, Patrick knelt before her and gently removed the blood from her left foot. The serenity of the moment overwhelmed Victoria and her cheeks blushed somewhat in a rare occurrence of embarrassment. "I'm fine." Her hand stretched to his shoulder but she unconsciously flinched from his skin, still bemused and stricken by his presence. "It's just a small cut." Ignoring her dismissal of the injury, Patrick cleansed the laceration and smoothed a band aid over it with the pad of his thumb. A small smile spread across Victoria's lips and her eyes brightened, her faith in humanity temporarily restored, "Thank you."

Patrick not only returned, but reflected, her smile and Victoria briefly searched his appearance for other characteristics he may have inherited. "You're welcome." The young man rose to his feet with ease and smoothed out any wrinkles in his clothes. "How about a replay on the introduction?" He offered his hand to Victoria, "I'm –"

"Patrick." Victoria blurted out again for him, fascinated by how his name on her lips seemed to ease any painful memories that threatened to re-emerge with his presence.

"Patrick Osbourne." He gently nodded his head, in confirmation. Each as much in awe of each other, they inhaled one another's appearance as if it were the very last time they would come in physical contact and an innate silence fell between them. "I apologise for the late intrusion. The chaos in the city disrupted my travel plans." The reference Patrick unknowingly made to Conrad provoked an instant iciness to develop in the air and Victoria's lips unconsciously curled into a vicious snarl. "I'm more than happy to leave, if you'd rather I come back when it's more convenient for you?"

His reasonable attitude surprised her somewhat, and Victoria disliked the thought of turning him away but her mind had flittered from Conrad to Charlotte, who had succumbed to her slumber, tragically unaware of Declan's demise and the future of motherhood that lay ahead. "I hate to have to ask you to leave just moments after you've arrived but my daughter is upstairs asleep and –" Victoria pointed her finger to the marble ceiling above them and paused, unaware how to casually mention the trauma the entire family had endured in the previous 48 hours. "Well, let's just say she's yet to learn of the incredible loss she has suffered and it's imperative that I be there to support her when she does make that discovery." Although the details were vague, the manners Patrick had been raised with didn't permit him to pry for further explanation and he allowed Victoria to guide him back to the foyer. "But please allow me to have my driver escort you to the Southfork Inn. We have a suite under permanent reservation there and I'll call ahead to have them prepare it for your arrival."

With a shake of his head, Patrick attempted to refuse her kind offer. "No, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to." Victoria quickly insisted, determined to keep Patrick close by after the pay-off she had masterminded to keep him at bay all those years beforehand. "Tomorrow, I'll call you and we can arrange to meet anywhere of your choosing." She re-opened the front door and clutched the door handle, her hands uncharacteristically clammy from a nervous sweat, and Patrick reluctantly stepped back over the threshold. "Patrick." The young man slowly swivelled on the spot to return his attention and, as much as her arms ached to wrap themselves around him and hold him as she had done when he had been a small child, Victoria recognised the bond previously formed had been stretched to the breaking point and refrained from any physical contact. Instead, she softly smiled, "I'm very pleased you're here." Patrick nodded his head, as he walked away from the house, and Victoria resealed the door and paralleled her back against it, the butterflies in her stomach overwhelming her.


	2. Happily Lending an Ear

Through the cracked doorway, Victoria sorrowfully witnessed Daniel's whole-hearted attempt to rescue Charlotte as she drowned in her inconsolable grief. No matter her maternal instinct, she knew far better than to intrude on the moment, for Charlotte would only be further reminded of her unending dislike of Declan and would undoubtedly lash out unnecessarily. Rather than provoke any more agony for her daughter, Victoria paced by the side-lines and awaited the time when Charlotte's gaping wounds would eventually heal.

"Victoria." The irritable voice of Emily Thorne drew Victoria's attention away from her children, and the blonde plastered on her feigned smile of concern. "How's Charlotte holding up?" The implication in her question, as Emily so blatantly pointed out the fact that Victoria was in avoidance of her daughter, rather than at her side, grated on Victoria but she bit her tongue. "Is Daniel with her now?" Victoria nodded her head and Daniel appeared from the room, closing the door fully behind him to ensure his mother refrained from eye contact with Charlotte. He would do all within his power to ensure both of his parents were kept at bay, at least until Charlotte had been permitted to process the news of Declan's death for herself. "How's she doing?"

"As well as can be expected but she needs to rest." Daniel noted, as he greeted Emily with a kiss to the cheek. "Emily and I thought we would pay our respects to Jack. Maybe ask him to give Charlotte a call. She could probably use someone to talk to." Despite the undeniable tension between them, Daniel predicted the mutual love and loss of Declan felt by Jack and Charlotte would allow for some kind of comfort, and Daniel was more than willing to swallow his pride if it helped Charlotte through the loss of Declan. "And in the meantime, just leave her alone, mom. She's in no condition to deal with either you or dad right now." In her current condition, physical and mental, Charlotte needed to avoid stress as much as possible and his parents were perhaps the purest cause of such a thing.

She ambivalently nodded her head to refrain from engaging in another confrontation with Daniel and returned to her own bedroom; the closest she could be to Charlotte, close enough to hear her cries but not close enough to soothe them. Instantly, her mind fell to Patrick and she reached for the phone. After three rings, Patrick's voice abruptly answered the call, "Hello?"

"Patrick, it's Victoria." It left a sour taste in her mouth to address one of her children with her own name and Victoria silently swore never to again. "How are you?"

The softness in her voice tipped him off balance and Patrick stumbled over his response. "I'm well, thank you." Their interaction had so far been minimal but already Patrick could feel a motherly warmth in the softness of her voice and he found it difficult to reconcile that this woman had rebuffed his previous attempt to make contact. He could only assume her husband had been the mastermind behind the brutal beating he had received. "Yourself?"

"Patrick, I'm afraid it'll be impossible for me to see you today." She dodged his question, a wave of disappointment in her tone as she refused him once again. "I'm sure you've been made aware of the young man, Declan Porter, who died as a result of the explosion at Grayson Global yesterday." The news reporters had been relentlessly camped outside of Grayson Manor, Grayson Global and even the Governor's mansion in their quest for a comment from one of the family members and the story had become one of national dominance. "He was a close friend of my daughter's and I'm afraid she hasn't taken the news well. What with the immediate media attention focused on the family, I'm afraid my movements, for the next 48 hours at least, will only attract further unwanted attention." She exhaled, her expression solemn. "I realise I have little right to ask this of you, but do you think it possible that you would remain at the Southfork Inn until all of this has blown over?" She longed for their lives to return to normal, when she could lavish all the attention Patrick deserved; she had plenty to make up for.

"Yeah, sure. I can do that." He made his assurance with a slight laugh, "One of the advantages of being a freelancer; you're never restricted to any kind of schedule." Relieved by his accommodating nature, Victoria half-heartedly echoed his laugh and Patrick balanced the phone between his ear and the crook of shoulder as he continued work on his latest piece. "Let me know when things have settled down." After thirty years of his mother's absence, he didn't think much of a few more days without her and Patrick had little interest in their reunion becoming the latest Grayson public spectacle, which was guaranteed unless they waited out the current media storm her family braved.

"Thank you for your understanding." Victoria gratefully made her relief known, quite unaccustomed to any of her children being so rational-minded in reaction to her.

"You're welcome." He made light strokes with the paintbrush dipped in a delightful sunset orange and filled the canvas as he engaged in conversation. "And, Victoria?" Patrick momentarily checked he had continued to hold her attention, "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know, outside of the family, I'll be more than happy to lend an ear."

Heart-warmed, Victoria's lips broke into her first genuine smile in months. "Thank you." No "goodbye" necessary, the line fell dead and Victoria replaced the phone onto the hook, pleasantly uplifted by the simple conversation she had shared with Patrick. As her mind returned to her children, so did her body to the doorway of Charlotte's bedroom and she finally built up the courage to open the door and slink through it where she discovered Charlotte had fallen into a deep slumber. No more than 12 hours ago she had tucked her daughter in, dreading the reaction Charlotte had to Declan's death, and fully aware of the backlash she would receive for her dismissive treatment of the young man when he had been alive. Now, Victoria could only recall the points in her life when she had faced similar tragedies – her own juvenile pregnancy and David's death – and hope that their tragic experiences could restore their relationship once again.


	3. A Mother's Intuition

Nearly an entire three weeks passed before a normative calm was restored for the Grayson family but Grayson Manor had become a ghost town. Officially named Governor of New York, Conrad had already relocated to the Governor's mansion, installing new décor as a statement of his ascension to the throne, meanwhile Daniel and Emily had ferried Charlotte to their city apartment. Not only faced with the loss of Declan, but the consequential loss of their unborn child, Charlotte's fragile mental health and emotional distance left Victoria with a frantic heart. However, Victoria exploited the opportunity to invite Patrick to Grayson Manor and finally engage in their first real reconciliation, of sorts, away from any prying eyes.

"Patrick, these are absolutely beautiful." Victoria inhaled the heavenly scent from the bunch of pink freesias as she guided him to the outdoor dining area.

"And you look… incredible!" Patrick complimented, a sense of pride in just how beautiful his mother was and must have been in her youth. Her lips spread into a smile and her cheeks blushed somewhat at his kind observation and Patrick balled his hands into his trouser pockets as he surveyed the Grayson Manor. "And so is this house! I almost feel out of place here."

"Don't be silly! Make yourself at home, please?" She directed for Patrick to seat himself at the intimate dinner table she had requested Martha prepare, much to the young woman's confusion, as the entire staff team had been informed that Mr Grayson wouldn't be returning for weeks, if at all. "I've given the staff the night off." She noted, in hopes that Patrick would feel more comfortable in the manor which had often overwhelmed newcomers. "Thank you." Victoria murmured, impressed by how well-mannered he appeared to be, as he remained on his feet until she had taken her own seat. "You don't know how much I've looked forward to having you here again. It's been far too long." With the exception of various phone conversations which were often cut short by either Conrad or Daniel's sudden arrival in the room, Victoria and Patrick had cut off all communications and had refrained from seeing one another face-to-face until all other family members finally departed Grayson Manor and Victoria found herself surrounded by only the staff. "How have you been?"

"Great! The Hampton's have treated me well, though I guess they would treat anyone well." His middle-class upbringing didn't allow him to over-indulge in the luxuries the Hampton's offered on a mouth-watering platter but Patrick didn't anticipate such a Martian-like world could ever be somewhere he would feel call "home" on a permanent basis. "How are you?" He reached for the newly-opened bottle of white wine placed on the dinner table and he filled two crystal glasses of the golden liquid. "You said on the phone that you were here alone?"

The concern in his eyes and voice revitalised Victoria and a warrior's bravery shone through her forced smile as she was reminded of the strained relationships she shared with her children. "Charlotte, my eighteen year old daughter, decided to leave for the city with her brother and his fiancée and my husband, Conrad, has moved to the Governor's mansion on a permanent basis."

"And you're not going with him?" Patrick probed, curious.

"Things have been strained between us for quite some time now," she confessed, indulging in what wasn't her first glass of wine to further calm her nerves. "We've divorced, remarried and we're on the brink of divorce once again." Careful of Patrick's perception, Victoria refrained from informing him why she and Conrad he decided to remarry in the first instance. "But I expect you already knew that."

Like a schoolboy discovered in the midst of his prank, Patrick nodded and bowed his head. "It's not difficult to find out the kind of life your mother leads when she's married to Conrad Grayson." Much of the research Patrick had done on his mother had been conducted before his first attempt to contact her but the Grayson name continually made its way to headline news over the years and Patrick often found himself drawn to it. Mother and son fell silent, in an awkward fashion, as Victoria displayed what Patrick interpreted as slight embarrassment of the lavish lifestyle she led. "And I guess that leads me to my first question, not an unreasonable one, I hope." She raised her head, focusing her attention solely on him, as if direction for him to continue and Patrick set his glass down. "I'm practically a stranger but the night I arrived in the Hampton's, you knew who I was in an instant, you invited me into your home without hesitation. What I want to know is how?"

"You are anything but a stranger, Patrick! You're my son!" Taken aback by how quickly Victoria had labelled their relationship, Patrick's eyes unconsciously widened and Victoria reached for his hand across the table with eyes of sincerity. "I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you and I don't need a DNA test to confirm what I already know in my heart." She surveyed the suspicion in his eyes but Victoria had little to gain from revealing the truth of the first time she had laid eyes on him, since their initial separation. His first attempt to make contact with her hadn't fallen unnoticed, she had Frank research Patrick extensively before her pained decision to buy him out but she had insisted upon a rare momentary glimpse of her son from a distance and Patrick hadn't changed by a great measure since his adolescent years. Unwilling to mention the occurrence, for fear it would reignite Patrick's justifiable fury for her continued abandonment of him and force Victoria to confess the extenuating circumstances when her extra-marital affair with David Clarke had reached its climax, Victoria simply smiled, "Call it a mother's intuition." Although the topic of conversation had clearly been left unresolved for Patrick, the young man leaned back in relent and Victoria checked the time on her Cartier watch. "Dinner should be just about done."

Patrick raised his eyebrow, bewildered by the incredulous idea which ran against every typical stereotype he had applied to Victoria, based on her lifestyle. "You cooked dinner?" Subtly amused by his blatant amazement, Victoria chuckled to herself as she rose to her feet and returned to the kitchen.


	4. The Consequence of Abused Trust

The shyness Patrick expressed in Victoria's company bemused her in how identically his mannerisms matched her own; the slight bow of the head, the small spread of a smile to feign comfort. Given that he had been raised by another woman, Victoria had anticipated they would feel like strangers, or pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that simply didn't fit. "You mentioned before you were a freelancer. I would love to see some of your work." Her experience with Dominik allowed Victoria to understand that artists work were more an insight into their soul than their imagination and she prayed Patrick didn't display the kind of volatile heart Dominik had often expressed, though her abandonment of him would certainly permit such a reaction.

He curled his upper lip in a show of lacking confidence as he shook his head in dismissal. "They're really nothing special." His creations were just enough to pay the bills but Patrick hadn't expected her to show much interest in something he considered more a personal hobby than the beginnings of a career. "Certainly nothing compared to the pieces you've collected over the years." He noted, infatuated by one piece which hung perfectly in the foyer as they completed their tour of Grayson Manor and retreated to the living room.

"I'm sure you're being far too modest." She downplayed his response, as she poured two after-dinner drinks from the Brandy decanter. "If there's one thing I've learnt, as simply an admirer of art, it's that the most talented of artists aren't always the most recognised."

Patrick accepted the drink and studied the grace his mother exuded with her every movement. It only caused him to wonder the kind of person Victoria had been before her entrance to the lavish lifestyle that inevitably Mrs Conrad Grayson would lead. So many questions bombarded his mind; "Had she come from money?" and, if she had, "Why did she leave him behind?" Patrick recognised the common reason mothers voluntarily relinquished custody of their children was due to their inability to care for them but, much to Patrick's disappointment, any background information on his mother before she married into high society had been scarce. His polite disposition didn't permit him to engage in such an interrogation, so Patrick decided to let Victoria decide when and where she would finally disclose more of herself to him and Patrick flitted around the topic. "What about your children? I know you mentioned Charlotte's in her final year at school. Is Daniel involved in the family business?"

"Daniel?" Victoria repeated his name with a tinge of sadness; she had raised him but, at this point in their lives, he felt more lost to her than Patrick had ever been. "Daniel's never been interested in his father's kind of work, no matter how much Conrad berated him to be more involved. He finally buckled under the pressure but I think it's safe to assume Daniel won't be returning to Grayson Global." The continual truths that had escaped drove Daniel further and further away from his family as he displayed disgust at their actions of self-preservation and Victoria could only take comfort in the fact that she and Conrad would both have to weather the storm of Daniel's disdain.

"That kind of business isn't always for everyone." Patrick sympathetically noted, "Maybe Daniel needs to become his own man, rather than a successor to his father's work." The kind of understanding Patrick offered Daniel, after Victoria had feared Daniel was someone Patrick would feel resentful of, warmed her heart. "I'm sure your husband will understand that in the long run."

"Ha!" She quietly scoffed in amusement of his statement, "You don't know Conrad."

"Then why don't you tell me about him?" As gently as he possibly could, Patrick prompted her for deeper information. "Don't mistake me for being ungrateful, dinner was lovely and this house is incredible. But I've spent nearly three hours with you and so far all I really know about you is that you can cook and have a love of French cuisine." He shrugged his shoulders, "I accepted your invitation because I would really like an opportunity to get to know my mother and for her to know the kind of man I am and the only way that can happen is if we both put ourselves out there."

Victoria brutally chewed upon her lip and tearfully smiled at Patrick. "Then that's something new you've learnt about me; I'm not someone who can easily trust others, Patrick." Regret filled her eyes and she reached out to feel the smooth skin of his cheek, "I wish I could but I can't, not even the ones I hold dearest to my heart. And there are many reasons for that…" Her mind filtered to the multiple times that people she had whole-heartedly adored had abused her trust in her youth; her mother, even Patrick's father and Conrad. It had been the only justification Victoria utilised for her crime against David Clarke – the rationalisation that if she hadn't struck out first, he would have only betrayed her in the end. "…reasons I'm not ready to discuss just yet but things you will undoubtedly come to discover. And I pray, things you will eventually find it in your heart to understand."

With the pad of his thumb, Patrick wiped away the tears on her cheek, "I do understand." He softly assured, "And I'm willing to wait. I'm willing to hold off on any questions I have – and I do have them – until you're ready to answer them." Grateful, Victoria forced herself to smile and Patrick continued, "And I'm open to any questions you may have but just not tonight." Just as Victoria started to speak, Patrick rose from his seat and swiftly finished off his drink, not one to be purposely wasteful. "Thank you for the dinner but it's pretty late and I should probably head back."

"You're leaving already?" Victoria leapt from her seat, saddened and sensing his disappointment in her reluctance to confide in him. "Well, at least let me have someone drive you to the Southfork." She pleaded with an careless desperation in her words as she followed him. "Like you said, it's late –"

"That really won't be necessary." Patrick shook his head in refusal, "I like to walk. It helps to clear my mind. Thank you, again, for dinner."

"You're welcome." She softly murmured, as she watched Patrick almost trip over himself to leave Grayson Manor and distance himself from the madhouse he had entered.


	5. Heart to Heart

A couple of days passed before Patrick recollected his nerve and decided to clear the air with Victoria. Once informed that his mother had driven into the city to visit with her children, Patrick refused the invitation to wait at Grayson Manor for her return, and instead occupied his time with a stroll along the beach near his mother's home. Nearly a half mile away from the manor, Patrick stumbled upon a far more modest cottage and his eyes fell upon a raven-haired woman positioned stiffly on the swing-seat as she stared out at the horizon. Patrick squinted his eyes to ascertain whether the lone woman could possibly be his mother before he made a gentle approach into her line of vision. "Victoria?"

His voice snatched Victoria from her dreamy daze and every single one of her features froze in shock, caught in such an intimate moment with no chance to recompose herself. "Patrick."

As his mother struggled to portray her previous effortless expression of happiness, Patrick kicked himself for his intrusion of an obviously private moment. "I dropped by Grayson Manor to see you but the staff said you had driven into the city to visit with Daniel and Charlotte." He consciously glanced through the windows of the darkened cottage to confirm the inhabitants were absent before he dared to step upon the wooden patio which curled around two edges of the building. "What are you doing here?" The closer he edged to Victoria, Patrick quickly acknowledged the tear stains upon her cheeks and he frowned. "Daniel and Charlotte are alright, aren't they?"

"They're fine." Victoria nodded her head and rummaged through her purse for a tissue to remove any evidence of her upset. Seeing his frown, Victoria quickly sniffed away the threat of any more tears and forced a smile to ease his concern. "I'm fine." She feigned nonchalance as she brushed her locks behind her shoulder and tucked the tissue out of sight.

"Something clearly has you upset." Patrick noted, his arms folded across his chest as he balanced himself upon the white-painted fencing. "And you can either keep it all in or you can let it out. A problem halved is usually a problem shared and sometimes it's nice just to let things off your chest, even if there's nothing that person can do to help you."

His mother bowed her head in complete avoidance of eye contact and Patrick huffed loudly for effect. "It's nothing." Her voice lowered in her attempt to conceal her heightened emotions and Patrick slid uneasily into the spot beside her and she sighed heavily as she continued, "I'm just realising things with Charlotte won't return to normal quite as quickly as I'd hoped they would." The fear that Charlotte would succumb to her previous addiction in her fragile condition paralysed Victoria to an almost death-like numbness. "She's in pain and there's nothing I can do to make it better for her. In fact, my presence only seems to make things worse." The only thing that could possibly trump the pain of witnessing Charlotte's sadness was the agony Victoria endured when Charlotte rejected her request to be present to aid her daughter's recovery from the loss of her future. Her expression hardened as she clenched her mouth as tightly as she possibly could. "And there's Daniel acting like her bodyguard. He refused to let me in and said Charlotte didn't wish to be disturbed." Patrick remained silent as Victoria mentally attempted to connect the dots and devise an explanation for Charlotte's sudden contempt. "It's almost as if she finds me responsible. Like she blames me for what happened."

Patrick shook his head in disagreement, "Why would she?"

The knife in the back had been that Daniel permitted Conrad to visit with Charlotte, the knife in the heart had been that Charlotte had been the one to request his presence. Perhaps because Conrad had been seemingly more accepting of her pregnancy. Naturally, Emily had been present with her ever-smug expression, painted on so subtly to ensure only Victoria could visualise the venom behind it. "Our relationship has always been strenuous but the therapy sessions we attended together since the start of the summer were helping."

"Well, she's lost so much in such a short space of time, you know?" Patrick could only reinforce the knowledge Victoria already possessed and reposition her viewpoint on said knowledge. "And grief can manifest in so many different ways depending on the person." He exhaled, attempting to express intuition in the sister he could only recognise due to the few – and far between – news articles which had previously featured the youngest Grayson. "Sometimes it's easier to release that grief, that negative energy on the people closest to our hearts, the ones we trust the most." His arm uneasily curled behind Victoria and his hand supportively squeezed the curve of her shoulder. "The worst thing you could possibly do right now is take any of it to heart." As she sniffed, almost in reluctant agreement at his comment, Patrick nervously reeled her body closer to his and released a relieved breath when she leaned further into his embrace and rested her head into the crook of his arm.

After further muffled sobs, another tissue to dry away the aftermath of her tears, Victoria broke her body away from his and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."

He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as if to let the moment roll off them. "Think nothing of it." He immediately sensed her mild embarrassment at the portrayal of such a vulnerable moment, so early on in their relationship when they were practically still strangers and he rose to his feet. "Care to join me for a walk?" With a nod of her head and fresh smile displayed, Victoria accepted the hand Patrick stretched out and followed him as they began a slow saunter across the platinum sands in the direction of Grayson Manor.


	6. Halloween, Harper Style

"Remind me to make reservations one evening and then maybe you'll have your first taste of _real _Chinese food." Victoria remarked in amusement, as she scrunched her napkin and pushed the Chinese take-out boxes aside once she had finished the meal Patrick had ordered in. Despite the horrendous quality of it, she subconsciously revelled in the opportunity to live in the carefree manner she had lived in before she became Mrs Conrad Grayson. The 'Vicky Harper' she had supressed for so many years had finally started to battle her way out once again with Patrick's presence. At his request, they had consumed dinner out of the take-out boxes while sitting on the floor of the living room and she had barely bothered to dress for the occasion.

"Hey! If we're going for the real thing, why don't we just take off for China sometime next week?" Patrick mockingly teased her carefree attitude, aided by her previous never-ending wealth.

"As soon as the Grayson fortune is returned, I'd be happy to charter the Grayson jet there with you." She replied, in all seriousness much to his horrified amusement. "Unfortunately, right now, our only source of income is Conrad's position as Governor which means our expenses are constantly monitored." Despite her initial infuriation that the Grayson's had lost their substantial fortune, the presence of Patrick in her life distracted her considerably and she left the concern in Conrad's hands. Rising slowly from the carpet, Victoria curled herself onto the couch with the beer bottle Patrick had insisted she drink from in replacement of her more preferred after-dinner drink, in order to complete the more laid-back feeling for one evening and Victoria found herself pleasantly surprised at how relaxed she felt.

"Speaking of which..." Patrick retrieved the vanilla coloured invitation Victoria had received earlier that morning. "I hope I'm not the reason you decided not to attend Conrad's Halloween party at the Governor's mansion tonight." With a grunt of disgust, Victoria reluctantly accepted the invitation Patrick offered and re-read the invitation Conrad had forwarded yet again. Although it stated that Governor Conrad Grayson requested "the pleasure of her presence" at the festive Halloween celebration, Victoria knew full well that the implication behind the invitation was that her attendance was mandatory, in order to ensure the first event Conrad hosted as Governor of New York would play off without a hitch. In light of his latest involvement with the initiative and the consequences their schemes had brought upon the family, Victoria had little intention of granting any more of her husband's outrageous demands. "Not a fan of Halloween?" Patrick gently prodded for an explanation.

"I'm simply in no mood to play 'happy families' for the public when we're anything but behind closed doors." She rationalised with a softened expression, though Patrick sensed the blatant disdain at the very thought of her husband and his talented charades. "Charlotte's still in avoidance of me and Daniel continues to treat me with contempt..." she trailed off, saddened by the entire situation. "

"Still, a masquerade ball could have been fun. It might have been good for you, you know?" Patrick offered another opinion, "Take your mind off of Daniel and Charlotte, keep up appearances with Conrad and even have you leave this house for a little bit." His eyes narrowed in discontent, "Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed spending time here with you but I don't think you've walked out that door in weeks, except to walk with me on the beach." He passed Victoria the hand-written invitation and smiled in an awkward fashion, "This isn't the first invitation you've declined because of me either and I'm starting to feel like I'm keeping you away from everything you've become accustomed to here." High-society luncheons and charity functions had all sent invitations for Victoria's presence – all of which she had declined with little explanation as to why – and Patrick began to wonder if Victoria viewed herself as prisoner to him for her previous abandonment. "I know we have plenty of time to make up for but we have plenty of time to do that." He had voluntarily accepted the fact that his mother had lived her life before him, and after him, and separate from him, but it had become clear that Victoria was almost afraid to resume participation in her lifestyle for fear it would upset him.

In consideration of his initial statement, Victoria became considerably subdued as she reflected on the last masquerade ball she attended, the one she and Conrad had hosted in fact. Patrick had been a mere ghost back then, abused by an unseen enemy to haunt and torment her with her inner demons. "Nonsense! I would much rather be in your company than any one of the people who bother to attend a Hampton's event simply to endorse the propaganda displayed; one quickly tires of such elaborate attempts to display status and wealth." Her final word on the subject, Victoria finalised the conversation by ripping the invitation into two halves and discarding the remains to the floor.

Patrick nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he refrained from continuing the minor debate. "I would just hate for you to feel like you have to babysit me now that I'm here, you know?" No matter how many times Victoria displayed willingness to be in his company as much as possible since their reunion, Patrick still felt like somewhat of a burden, or a loose end that distracted her from the normality she sometimes seemed desperate to escape. "But I am happy we're together for Halloween. It was always my favourite time of the year as a kid!"

"Not Christmas?" Victoria raised her eyebrow, her mood instantly lightened.

"Every kid loves Christmas!" Patrick noted, "Halloween just always filled me with excitement. My father had an aunt, we called her great aunt Zelda, and she was always a little crazy and every year she would make up some kind of crazy story to frighten all the kids!" He chuckled to himself, reminiscent of the happier times of his childhood. "She scared me so much one year that I stayed awake all night, I hid in my closet with a flashlight and nearly had a heart-attack every time the floorboards creaked!"

Victoria softly smiled to herself, automatically reversed into memories of her own. "One year when Daniel and Charlotte were small, I think Charlotte was only four years old, she and Daniel stayed awake until Conrad and I had gone to sleep and they snuck downstairs to watch a horror movie. It terrified Charlotte so much that she crawled into our bed in the middle of the night."

An instant sadness hung in the atmosphere when both mother and son suddenly realised they could add another lost moment, a moment they would never be able to recapture, but Patrick quickly broke eye contact with his mother and forced an awkward laugh. "So Daniel's a horror movie freak, huh?" He questioned, as he rose to his feet. "Do you think he would mind if I raided his collection? I'm curious to see how easily you scare!"

She nonchalantly waved her hand in the direction of the foyer. "Third bedroom on the right." Once again under Emily's control, even if he didn't completely know it, Victoria had little doubt Daniel would return to the manor until summer fell upon them once again, let alone notice if anyone had entered the room he had barely used since his re-engagement. "And Patrick..." she allowed his head to peer around the doorway before she continued, "I do not scare easily!" Her eyes narrowed, the confident glint that shone in them enough to confirm her statement for him.


	7. Morning in the Manor

"...if you even think, for one second, that I have any intention of spending Thanksgiving with you then you are sorely mistaken, Conrad!"

Upon return from his morning jog, Patrick didn't need the addition of Conrad's name to his mother's statement to know which unfortunate being had been on the wrong end of her scathing tone. While he retrieved a bottle of refrigerated water from the kitchen, the phone call seemed to fill with further animosity until his mother finally lost all patience and abandoned communications. "Good morning!"

Victoria exhaled her anger and forced a smile for Patrick, "Good morning." Since it had become abundantly clear that neither her husband or their children had any plans to return to Grayson Manor until at least the beginning of next summer, Victoria had invited Patrick to claim one of the guest rooms at the manor as his own. Not only did it prevent her from feeling like a lone wolf wandering her very own ghost town, it also permitted them an opportunity to become further acquainted. Much like Charlotte, Patrick had developed an obvious love of books, and Victoria had frequently discovered him browsing through the small collection in the study Conrad had developed. And like Daniel often did during the summer months, Patrick would rise early for his regular morning exercise. "How was your run?"

"Pleasant," Patrick mustered a one-worded answer as he rehydrated. He witnessed the discomfort Victoria displayed as she loudly exhaled and swallowed his mouthful. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, just Conrad being... Conrad!" She dismissed the antagonism one mere phone call with her husband had caused and flicked her raven locks over her shoulders for effect. "Daniel has jetted Emily off to Paris for Thanksgiving; who knows if he'll return until the summer? And Conrad has insisted that Charlotte and I stay at the Governor's mansion for Thanksgiving with him." Although she had not yet gathered the courage to introduce Patrick to either one of her children, she had hoped to somehow share Thanksgiving with all of them, even if it meant her time would be divided.

"Well, don't let me stop you!" Patrick pleaded, "The last thing I would expect is for you to abandon responsibility to any of your children. After everything Charlotte's been through, she needs both of her parents together and this could be an appropriate time for you and your husband to make amends with one another." He could see his mother remained unconvinced, still wary of her husband, for reasons unknown to Patrick, and Patrick pursed his lips in an attempt to persuade her into a more compromising trail of thought. "Why don't you make a week of it?" He suggested, his tone lightened for a more influential effect. "I'm sure Conrad would be more than willing to put any differences aside for Charlotte's sake and she would probably appreciate having the both of you by her side. And you wouldn't have to worry about leaving me because I should really check back into the city at some point."

"Are you sure?" Mesmerised by his selflessness, Victoria tenderly caressed his cheek with her hand and twin lines of concern formed upon her forehead. She had little idea what kind of a man to expect when Patrick arrived on her doorstep but she certainly hadn't anticipated the kindness he expressed for his younger siblings; the two children who Victoria had actively raised as her own, essentially strangers to him.

"Why don't you call back and let Conrad know now?" Patrick nodded his head in confirmation.

Her lips formed a snarl and she set her cell phone on the kitchen island, "Ugh, tomorrow. Five minutes on the phone with that man in one day is almost always too much." She still hadn't forgiven Conrad for his involvement with the initiative in their latest terrorist attack, and the salt in the wound had been that Charlotte continued to adore him, painfully unaware of his participation in the events which had led to Declan's death. "Thank you for your understanding." Her voice softened, still overwhelmed by how much of a polar opposite the generous soul Patrick appeared to be compared with the bitter child she had often feared would loathe her for her indiscretion of abandonment. "I'm only sorry I won't be able to have you with me –"

Patrick shook his head and rubbed her shoulder, "You will, soon enough." He assured her, "Now just isn't the right time for you and I don't think it's the right time for me either. We're still like strangers to one another right now, it would only complicate things more to introduce your husband and your children into the mix." His description of their relationship likening them to strangers caused Victoria's face to momentarily fall, as she had assumed they had surpassed that kind of aloofness but she immediately feigned a brightened expression. "Besides we have plenty of Thanksgivings ahead! Would it really matter all that much if we didn't share this one together?" Victoria reluctantly shook her head and Patrick grinned, in an effort to further improve her mood. "Do you have anything planned today?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Victoria announced, "There's a glorious little art gallery in the East Hampton's and I know you'll just adore it!" Despite the fact that many of Southampton's summer residents had retired to their first homes for Thanksgiving, Victoria still possessed a certain amount of paranoia when in public with Patrick. Reporters still clambered for her statement regarding Conrad's new role as Governor of New York, or the latest crisis at Grayson Global, and Victoria remained careful that Patrick kept out of sight, lest anyone suspect his identity.

"Sounds perfect! I'll take a shower and be down in half an hour!" Patrick jogged from the kitchen and Victoria groaned to herself as her eyes fell upon her cell phone and she silently convinced herself to return Conrad's call to confirm her attendance at Thanksgiving. The pleasantry he would revel in as she caved to his demand would most certainly be enough to ruin her day.


	8. A Gallery of Mistakes

"Quite beautiful, isn't it?" Patrick broke the silence which hung in the air and motioned to the most prominent piece the art gallery displayed. His mother nodded her head in instant agreement and Patrick frowned, genuinely concerned at the tormented expression she had involuntarily expressed as she allowed herself to become fascinated by the piece. It didn't require any power of observation to realise Victoria's mood had only soured when the owner of the art gallery relayed well-wishes to the newest Governor of New York. It hadn't been the first instance that the mere mention of her husband seemed to disturb Victoria and Patrick's intrigue as to why had gradually started to build.

"I've always loved this gallery!" She finally declared, as she withdrew her eyes from the painting. "Some of the pieces they collect are true gems!"

"Still, I can't help feeling your appreciation of this piece in particular runs deeper than the rest." He noted, his approach gentle. The painting in question had been labelled "Loveless Marriage" by the artist and Patrick hoped his mother didn't relate to the shadowed woman, her saddened face buried in her hands as dark swirls of red surrounded her form.

Like a child discovered, unable to meet Patrick's eyes, Victoria folded her arms across her chest as she allowed herself to be drawn in by the beauty once again. "Patrick, have you ever been married?"

Patrick matched Victoria's form, his own arms folded across his chest, "Once." He kept his answer short and brief, not willing to relive something so painfully private with her when they were still so early on in their newly-embarked relationship. "Not so long ago actually," he commented, aware of the eyes of surprise Victoria looked at him with. "It didn't work out though."

"Did you marry her because you loved her?" She checked, her eyes resting on him.

He curled his lips in an expression of uncertainty, and perhaps even regret. "I thought I loved her."

Victoria's expression hardened in the way it often did when she found herself forced to reminisce upon the past she sometimes wished to forget and had even denied. "Some time after I left you in the orphanage, I enrolled in an art school in Paris with the scholarship they had offered me and I returned to New York three years later with the intention of running my own gallery. Not long after that, Conrad and I were introduced when I commissioned a piece for him." Her eyes fluttered in reluctant admission, "There was an instant attraction between us and it mattered little to me that he was already married, or even had children of his own. My interest in him increased further once I discovered who he was and the kind of financial wealth and position he would eventually acquire." Despite his attempt not to react in shock, or even minor judgement, Patrick's eyes widened. "His marriage had been an unhappy one practically from the start. He had married in order to satisfy his father and build his reputation on Wall Street. Not many months had passed before his wife discovered the affair and Conrad initiated proceedings for divorce because I had led him to believe I had fallen pregnant."

The fact that the woman before him, the woman who had brought him into this world only to abandon him, had destroyed yet another family provoked a sickening stir in Patrick's stomach but he refrained external judgement until all the cards had been laid out for surveillance. "You married him for money?"

In spite of his clear attempt to repress any sign of it, his contempt of her became painfully obvious. It was the very contempt no mother wished to witness from her children, the way she had heard it in Daniel's various verbal attacks and seen it in Charlotte's wide and child-like eyes. That very contempt had motivated her ability of self-preservation to kick in; in fear of contempt, she produced lies to paint herself as nothing but an innocent victim but the lies always surfaced and the contempt her children viewed her with almost always multiplied. Although, Patrick's reappearance offered her the opportunity to break the vicious circle she had voluntarily drowned herself in, it didn't make the contempt any easier to confront. "I was an ambitious young woman, Patrick. Driven... by greed and insecurity, I believe Daniel once put it." She snickered, in avoidance of any emotion as the tears threatened.

"But you must have loved him deep down?" He argued, almost in need of defending her, if only to preserve the perfect image his mind had created of her, an image which her revelation shattered. "It's impossible to stay married to someone for over twenty years and raise children with that person without having loved them at some point. Even if you didn't know it, even if you didn't want to admit it..." It pained him to imagine his mother had abandoned him only to lead a miserable life without him, it made him feel as if his abandonment had been for nought.

She shrugged her shoulders in mild admission, "Maybe. But he's since become ruthless and cruel." Her head dropped, "Conrad isn't the man I thought I married."

"Well, I know a little something about that." Her emotional revelation allowed her to become so stripped back, so raw, in his presence that Patrick felt compelled to offer an admission of his own. "Except, I would probably relate better to Conrad than I would to you." Victoria narrowed her eyes, suspicious about the kind of revelation Patrick prepared to voice. "My wife was eighteen when we married, only a child really but there had been that same instant connection, for her at least. Her parents disapproved of the marriage because they felt we were both far too young and we relocated here to New York from Jacksonville where we had both grown up. I think she even returned there after we divorced but we weren't married a year before things started to go wrong." He swallowed the lump in his throat, "She couldn't figure out why our marriage just wouldn't work, she blamed herself. It became obvious we were too young; we were like two kids playing pretend in this big wide world and neither of us had any idea what love really looked like or felt but we stayed married for three years almost, until she finally figured it out... the real reason I had married her."

Victoria frowned, further confused, "Why?"

His heartbeat quickened, a sickness of nerves bundled in his stomach returned, as they would whenever he confessed himself. "Because I realised the kind of man I really was... I'm gay, Victoria." Despite her the quick blink of her eyes, and a sharp intake of breath, Victoria had little reaction to the information. He felt relieved, no disgust, repulsion or disappointment appeared on her expression. "She loved me and I loved her but not the way she needed me to and it broke her heart. She lost that innocence, the naiveté, she had possessed when we first met... I think our marriage hardened her, made her cold inside. We don't keep in touch, in fact, I haven't spoken with her since the day she walked out. I didn't just lose a wife, I lost a friend."

It was like a physical ache in her heart to see Patrick torment himself over the past, the way she had done herself many times and continued to do. "Everybody makes mistakes, Patrick." She offered the one piece of advice others had continuously offered, not that she had taken much notice. "Do not torture yourself over the past which cannot be changed."

"Just learn your lesson from it, right?" Patrick quipped in amusement, "I will, if you will?" His mother forced a smile large enough to convince him, but she knew all too well, it would never be that simple.


	9. Happy Thanksgiving, Mom

"Charlotte?" Victoria softly probed her daughter once again, her question left unanswered. She patiently waited until Charlotte's daydream shattered, her eyes refocusing, before she repeated her previous question. "How would you feel about living with your father at the Governor's mansion until you've finished with school?" Still unprepared to inform her family about Patrick's return into her life, Victoria had reluctantly agreed to Conrad's suggestion that Charlotte remain in the city with him for remainder of the school term.

Charlotte slowly nodded her head in agreement, her fingers encircling the coffee cup. The hustle and bustle of the Starbuck's coffee shop in the city didn't permit an emotional heart-to-heart to occur, nor did Charlotte much feel like sharing one with her mother in light of recent events, so Charlotte kept her reply short. "Whatever you say, mom." Since Daniel and Emily had charted the Grayson jet to fly to Paris for Thanksgiving, Charlotte had resided in the city with her father rather than return to her mother in the Hampton's where memories of Declan lay in wait. If it hadn't been for school, Charlotte would have happily jetted off to Europe with her brother and his fiancée.

In acceptance of her daughter's reluctance to share much conversation, Victoria bowed her head and mirrored Charlotte's actions with her own cup of coffee. "Things with your father are still tense as you may well have noticed and I've decided to return to the Hampton's by the end of the week." The entire point of their mother-daughter afternoon had been no more than a ruse to escape the Governor's mansion which Conrad ruled with an iron fist. The remodelling of the mansion had caused every guest room to be shut off, which Victoria had no doubt Conrad had purposely organised for her visit, and she had consequently been forced to share the master bedroom with Conrad. Whether the idea had been just another way to goad her or a genuine attempt at reconciliation, Victoria didn't care and only suffered through the week for the sake of Charlotte's happiness during Thanksgiving, though their daughter must have been aware of the tension between them.

"Alone?" Her daughter questioned with little concern in her expression. Nearly ten seconds passed, her mother unresponsive to her question, and Charlotte became the only person with her attention invested in the current conversation. "Mom?" She slowly glanced over her shoulder to view the sudden flow of customers, with whom her mother appeared to be intensely distracted.

Although the young blonde-haired man didn't attract Charlotte's attention, Victoria immediately recognised her son within the crowd and Patrick subtly waved in Victoria's direction. Unable to wave back, for fear of Charlotte's rising suspicion, Victoria flashed a blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile before she seemingly crashed back to down to earth. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, I was in a world of my own. What did you just say, sweetheart?" Her charismatic bravado broke Charlotte's suspicions as she reached across the table for her daughter's hand. "Hmm...?"

"Wouldn't you rather stay in the city?" Charlotte frowned; in her entire childhood, the family had only remained in the Hampton's for the summer season.

"With your father preoccupied, and you at school all week?" Her mother evenly rationalised, "Charlotte, you know all too well your father's constant workaholic persona has always driven me out into the open! Never-ending late-night meetings in his office and all that paperwork," she clicked her mouth, in an expression of disgust. "Now that he's Governor, he'll have almost ten times as much work on his hands than he's ever had to deal with at Grayson Global." Victoria momentarily reminisced upon the intimate conversation she had shared with the former Governor's wife before the election; after all the violations of the law and people's souls Conrad had committed, a death sentence seemed appropriate to Victoria, if not deserving.

No longer naïve or gullible enough to buy Victoria's cover-story, Charlotte remained intrigued with whatever reason her mother seemed so distracted and continually glanced over her shoulder. "Is that your way of sugar-coating that divorce is on the cards?" She murmured, irritated by the façade her mother consistently played. Honesty never appeared to be a factor Victoria considered and it was the one and only thing Charlotte despised about her mother.

Flustered by Patrick's presence, Victoria uncharacteristically shrugged off Charlotte's insightful narration. "Why don't you finish your drink, sweetheart? We only have another hour before the stores close down and didn't you say you wanted to buy something for Carl?" Hesitant, Charlotte devoured the remains of her warm drink before she momentarily excused herself to the restroom, which permitted her mother to privately approach her son. "Patrick..."

"Victoria." Patrick appeared just as bewildered by the coincidental meeting, "Happy Thanksgiving!"

During a holiday that always resurrected so many painful memories for Victoria, she became entirely uplifted simply by the chance to see Patrick in the flesh, despite their inability to fall into much of a deep conversation. "Happy Thanksgiving," she softly replied. "How are you?" His head bobbed from side-to-side in an average answer and Victoria cleared her throat, "I've missed you." Mother and son flashed one another a similarly bright smile until each noticed Charlotte reappear at the table they had been seated. Careful not to raise further suspicion, Victoria reached beside Patrick and dispensed her loose change into the gratuity box before she returned to her daughter's side. "Ready?"

Patrick remained expressionless and silent, as the young brunette passed him by with her mother immediately behind. It had been such an alienating experience to see his mother interact with one of the children she had raised herself. Not because she acted at all different, but because she acted in exactly the same manner she always had with him. It almost confirmed to Patrick that Victoria really did care for him, really did regret her decision to abandon him. "Happy Thanksgiving, mom," he quietly muttered to himself, his words inaudible to anyone but him.


	10. Rendezvous at Central Park

As Patrick approached Central Park, he instantly recognised his mother in the distance as she patiently awaited his arrival. "Victoria..."

"Patrick!" She swivelled on her favourite pair of five-inch heels, which allowed her to finally match his height, and her arms curled around him for their first real embrace since his return. "It's so good to see you!" Although only a few days had passed since their chance meeting at Starbucks, their conversation had been severely limited due to Charlotte's presence. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too!" Patrick declared, pleased by the ability his presence appeared to have in terms of uplifting her mood and her smile proved evidence to as much. "We didn't really have much of a chance to talk the other day; how was Thanksgiving?"

Victoria exhaled softly and her eyes fell to her feet, "Quiet." While Conrad had holed himself in his personal office, Charlotte retreated to her bedroom to focus on the school work she had missed and Victoria had been left with nothing to do but count the days, hours and minutes before she could return to the solace of Grayson Manor and her new lease of life with Patrick. In fact, the only time the three of them had shared the same room for more than five minutes had been Thanksgiving dinner and the conversation had been dismal. Much to the dismay of Victoria, Daniel didn't bother to call from Paris and Conrad revelled in the opportunity to stir more salt into her wound, pleased that they would both suffer their son's sentiments of hatred and disdain.

"Well, Charlotte looked good." Patrick pointed out, his tone remaining positive. "How's she coping?"

"She's doing much better than expected." She responded, "Declan's death and the loss of the baby will never be easy to deal with but the more she focuses on the school, the easier it'll become for her." Her arms linked with Patrick's as they strolled alongside the edge of the lake and she made a new direction for the topic of conversation. "And since Charlotte's so focused on school right now, I've made the decision to return to the Hampton's within the next couple of days and I hope you'll join me there." Before Patrick could respond with his answer, she continued, "Conrad will remain in the Governor's mansion in Albany on a permanent basis and Charlotte has expressed her wish to stay with him while she completes the school term. The way things are between us right now, I highly doubt Daniel will return to the Hampton's until the beginning of the summer and Grayson Manor is far too much space for our entire family, let alone one person."

"I would be happy to return with you!" He happily accepted, astonished by the perfect timing of his return into her life. With her family divided, physically and frankly emotionally, it permitted them the opportunity to become properly acquainted on their own terms with no time constraints and no external pressures. "If that's the only reason you asked me here, then allow me to thank you..." Patrick checked that his mother had said all she needed to before he continued. "...for your reaction, or perhaps your lack of one, when I told you... the way that I am." Victoria remained silent, a soft, soothing smile settled on her full lips as she sensed the importance of the matter to Patrick. "It probably sounds silly but, even though I've known for quite a few years now, it's still so hard for me to let others know. Most of all you because I realise my choices not only affect my life but yours too, in a weird roundabout way of looking at it." He awkwardly motioned to a nearby family where an elderly couple fed the ducks with their infant grandchildren, "I mean, I guess every mother dreams of that normal family structure, right? The day their son finds the woman he loves and marries her and has children..."

"What every mother dreams of, Patrick, or at least every decent mother, is that their child find happiness." Victoria replied, with the only assurance she possibly could. "Whether you find that happiness with another man or a woman makes no difference at all." The relief was evident in his facial features, "Since we're on the subject, is there anybody in your life right now?"

Her unapologetic lack of subtlety caused Patrick to chuckle, "Not right now, no!"

"Patrick, you'll forgive me for being somewhat pleased; it simply means I have you all to myself for the foreseeable future at least." Victoria referenced her small smile and Patrick reflected it, "Of course, it's always possible you might meet someone in the Hampton's." Despite her indifference to many of the individuals in her world of high-society, Victoria did find a small percentage of the Hampton's could be bearable and several names already entered her mind. But, in light of her strained relationship with Daniel, Victoria decided to repress her desire to interfere in Patrick's private life.

"It's possible!" Patrick granted his mother's point, "But I think the only relationship I should concern myself with right now is this one here." His hand softly patted hers as they continued to stroll through the park and Victoria made a poor effort to disguise her exceptional happiness at his response to her remark. "The only reason I came back into your life was because I had always wanted to know the kind of mother my mother was and for her to see the man I had become without her. Not just the big things like your children, your life, but the little things." He admired their surroundings, in search of inspiration, "Like what your favourite season is! Mine's fall, right now..." he gestured to the countless leaves that had already departed from the trees and were scattered beneath their feet. "The golden, reddish colour the leaves turn before they hit the ground, the slight chill in the air and the way it becomes darker earlier in the evening and the fires indoors that make homes so much cosier than before." Patrick began to laugh at his babbled speech, which Victoria listened to with utter fascination. "Maybe I'm exaggerating a little but I want to know you, not Mrs Conrad Grayson." If he knew only one thing, he knew that the public display his mother offered was little more than a façade to conceal and protect the woman underneath. "Come on... we're not too far from my favourite coffee shop and they make an amazing homemade pumpkin soup! Another thing I love about this time of year!"


	11. 3am Resentment

"Patrick?" The rustling in the kitchen immediately ceased, confirmation of his presence and Victoria illuminated the room. Her eyes momentarily offended by the bright light, she squinted as her eyes struggled to check the nearest clock to discover the metallic hands displaying nearly 3am. "What on earth is going on?"

"Did I wake you?" Patrick checked, his guilty expression evident as he pushed aside the remains of his midnight snack, which consisted of a cheese and cracker platter. He had always been prone to the most untimely bouts of hunger since his childhood. "I'm sorry!" His father had always scolded him for his inability to respect other members of the household, which was why Patrick had done his very best to remain as quiet as humanly possible despite the fact that the rumbles of his stomach were an audible match for thunder.

Her hand waved off any initial concern, "It's quite alright." She eyed the very few cracker crumbs Patrick had left behind in his wake and chuckled to herself, "When I first fell pregnant with you, very early on, I had an insatiable craving for cheese and crackers!" His eyes widened in disbelief, thrilled to hear his mother recount memories of him. "I gained nearly 40 pounds during the whole nine months! After you were born, the mere smell of cheese made me sick to my stomach because I'd eaten so much in such a short period of time!" Victoria retrieved her favourite china from the cupboard and flicked the kettle on to prepare her favourite herbal tea, as she further recalled, "But that's how I knew I had fallen pregnant again with Daniel the second time around."

"Was that pregnancy easier for you?" Patrick nervously quizzed, "With Daniel?"

Victoria hummed in contemplation, "It was different with Daniel." She saturated the herbal tea pouch with boiling water and let the citrus aroma soothe her. "Conrad and I were still practically newly-weds and I had his support, the support of his family and friends back then." Her shoulders slumped, "I suppose the only difference was that, with Daniel, I had plenty of people to share the experience with. But you were mine to keep for myself. It made things a little more difficult but it also made it much more special."

Patrick patiently waited for Victoria make herself comfortable on the leather stool opposite him before he voiced his query. "What about your parents?" He checked, "Did you have any brothers or sisters?" The only family his mother had purposely mentioned had been husband and her children, but Patrick had been curious as to the kind of family his mother had stemmed from.

"I was an only child and my father had been absent my entire life." She explained, "The relationship my mother and I..." Victoria allowed her voice to trail off, "...was difficult from the start. How was it that Conrad described it?" Her thoughts spoke aloud as she racked her brain for his expression, "I didn't speak her language and she didn't bother to learn mine?" In his dire attempt to retrieve her from the darkness she had drowned herself in, though admittedly unaware of the kind of mother she had endured fifteen years of, Conrad had fleetingly summarised years of contention between both mother and daughter with little intuition. "Things came to a head when I was fifteen years old and she kicked me out," Victoria confessed, determined not to further detail the experience for Patrick's peace of mind. "I fell pregnant shortly after that; I very much doubt she would have cared had she known." Although Victoria sensed the perfect opportunity to question Patrick of his own adoptive heritage, her heart refused to acknowledge the very possibility that her choices had resulted in her son's suffering, while she had raised herself into an opportunistic world as Mrs Conrad Grayson. "And, despite everything, I will always reflect on those nine months of pregnancy and the first six months of your life and cherish the memories we shared."

"And you never considered an abortion?" His interrogation provoked an innate sense of bewilderment in Victoria, "It's just... well, I guess, now's a good a time as any to mention it," Patrick heavily inhaled before he gathered the courage to meet Victoria's eye to speak. "I watched the Nightline interview." His mother writhed in humiliation and Patrick inwardly scolded his decision to confront her on a matter which clearly pained her heart. "There were so many mixed emotions, you know?" Victoria gently nodded her head in agreement, as she listened to him with intent. "I mean, your family knew about this other child you had given up but I didn't know how they felt about it. And the only reason they knew had been because someone leaked the story, not because you had confided in them; I knew that much from the look of horror on Conrad's face when you admitted the truth. As far as he knew, you had decided to have an abortion and it just made me wonder why you didn't."

"Patrick." She warily stretched her hands across the table and clasped them around his for support. "The look of horror on Conrad's face had nothing on the look of horror on mine the day I discovered I was pregnant." His hand flinched somewhat underneath hers but Victoria's grasp remained firm, not unlike her expression. "But being pregnant with you, was the very first time that the sense of loneliness I was born with had dissipated and I knew I couldn't rid myself of that."

Patrick's eyes were bitterly cold, "But you did."

With a heavy heart, Victoria bore the resentment from her first-born son as a tear slid down her cheek, "I had no choice." So many revelations had been spilled between them, so much heartbreak shared, that Victoria didn't have the heart to drag Patrick down with an even darker truth as to why his abandonment had been necessary, so she brushed the tear off. "I always dreamed of finding you again, no matter how many times I told myself it would be impossible, no matter how many times I feared Conrad's reaction, I always knew the real reason I couldn't." Patrick lowered his head to ensure eye contact and urge his mother to continue her explanation, "Because the real thing I feared was the look of resentment I see in your eyes right now."


	12. 4am Reconciliation

How fragile his mother could be fast replaced the hardened image Patrick had created in his mind after he witnessed the Nightline interview. "I don't resent _you_, Victoria. I resent your decision." Patrick plucked a tissue from the nearby box and offered it to Victoria, who attempted to compose herself. "But I also respect it. If there's one thing I've learned, it's not to judge. Having a child at such a young age and being solely responsible for that child couldn't have been easy but you didn't just give up at the first hurdle, you know?" His hand slowly stroked her back, in an attempt to regulate her breathing, which had become unsteady with emotion. "I mean, there are middle-aged women out there, married with families to support them and they still struggle!"

His words were little comfort to Victoria, who sniffed, "Thank you for your understanding. Lord knows, I'm not deserving of such kindness."

The self-depreciative way in which she viewed herself often concerned and frightened Patrick. He sensed a darkness in her heart, not the evil kind but the tormented kind. "What did you say to me at the gallery before?" Patrick reminded her of her own words of wisdom, "Don't torture yourself over a past which cannot be changed." She deeply inhaled and nodded her head in final composure. "Do you know what always cheers me up?" In a fast turn-around of topic, Patrick searched the kitchen until he discovered the powdered chocolate, "Hot chocolate!"

Victoria forced a soft giggle, as Patrick started to prepare two cups of the warm bedtime drink. "Whenever Charlotte and Daniel awoke in the middle of the night, as children, Conrad and I would wake up with them and make endless cups of hot chocolate until we finally felt tired enough to sleep again." She artfully supressed the threat of her yawn and continued her recollection, "Daniel would insist on whipped cream, which he somehow always managed to smother all over his mouth, and Charlotte adored the little pink and white marshmallows in hers too!" Victoria consumed the remains of her herbal tea and pushed the empty cup across the kitchen island, which she rested her hands flat upon. "I'll never forget, one evening Conrad and I returned home from the city and Daniel had stayed awake for hours making us two cups of his very own homemade hot chocolate made from real melted chocolate chunks! The kitchen was such a mess!" The kind and generous soul Daniel had always been still remained somewhere deep down within him, Victoria knew for sure, and she prayed the shameless example she and Conrad had set for him didn't make a permanent impact.

"I can't wait to meet him." Patrick genuinely replied, not only to further cement his position in his mother's life, but also to discover the kind of mother Daniel and Charlotte had been raised with. Even the smallest pieces of information would allow him to pretend, at least, that their childhood had also been his and he could picture himself inside each and every story they relayed.

"Nor can I wait to witness such an introduction," Victoria confirmed her intention to introduce Patrick to her younger children. "But the timing of your return is unfortunate what with Daniel in Paris and Charlotte occupied with her studies." She didn't much relish the option to inform her children any other way than face-to-face for fear of further rejection, most likely from Daniel. "They've only just become aware of your existence, let alone the possibility of you becoming a part of their lives and they'll need a period of adjustment. I would prefer to be present for that transition rather than allow Daniel to avoid the situation from another continent." He gently nodded his head and carefully placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of Victoria, "Please don't be of the impression that I would purposely keep you from either one of them any longer than I deem necessary?"

"I know you wouldn't," Patrick quickly assured his mother. "And I don't mean to pressure you, I just... I was raised as an only child and I have always wondered what it's like to have a brother or a sister and now that I have both, I don't want to waste any more time without knowing them, you know?" Victoria smiled understandingly and Patrick licked the cream clean from his mouth. "Why don't you tell me a little more about them?" He offered, fully aware how much his mother brightened when her children became the topic of conversation.

"Well, Charlotte's in her final year at school and she's always been a straight-A-student." Victoria proudly informed him, "And Daniel has been in the family business, for the past couple years with Conrad. Whether or not he plans to continue, remains to be seen. Despite Conrad's insistence, I don't think Wall Street has ever been in the future Daniel intended for himself." Her son had been born with a romantic heart, not simply for love but for life. "He's always had a deep love of poetry since childhood. His grandmother, Conrad's mother, probably instilled into him with the various poems she would read to him before his bedtime." She fondly remembered her deceased mother-in-law, who had embraced her with an unending kindness throughout the years until her death. "Even after she died, Daniel kept the tradition..." her voice trailed off, as she attempted to pinpoint when in Daniel's life his poetic heart had withered.

"And didn't you mention Daniel's engaged?" Patrick vaguely recalled the mention, "Her name's Emily, right?"

"Ah... Miss Thorne!" His mother's voice increased a few decibels, her expression irritated somewhat. "The source of much tension between Daniel and myself since her intrusion into our lives." Patrick expressed confusion and Victoria heavily sighed at the idea of having to explain herself, "I don't trust her, nor do I trust her intention." The eeriness Emily exuded, the suspicious way in which her former years appeared to be squeaky clean, bar her justifiable stint in juvenile detention, and the fact that her arrival had oh-so-coincidentally coincided with the recent years of disruption in their lives; Victoria had been introduced to her for no more than a few minutes before Emily played a part in the reveal of Conrad's affair with Lydia. "She's broken Daniel's heart before and I don't doubt she'll happily do the same again should she profit from the result."

Patrick shrugged his shoulders with his look of naiveté, "I hate to sound like a broken record, but, everybody makes mistakes, right?" He demonstrated the kind of fairness and equality that Victoria's paranoia wouldn't allow her to show offer, "It sounds like they've worked through whatever what went wrong. Daniel's given her a second chance, maybe you should too?" His eyes dismissed the uncertain look in hers and he checked the clock, which had almost reached 4am, "Why don't you sleep on it?" He suggested, with a peck to her cheek.


	13. Nobody's Home for Christmas

Patrick followed the sombre pangs from the grand piano until he discovered his mother sat at the instrument, her hands carefree and uninstructed as to which note played next. It didn't escape his notice that the more he discovered about this woman, the more he became fascinated. The very second she became aware of his observation, her fingers plummeted upon the white keys in an abrupt end to the soulful tune. "Patrick..." the surprise in her voice was evident, her eyes wide and alert and her body language fidgety like her inner most hidden-self had been exposed to the light.

He nervously stepped forward, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." He traced his hand along the edge of the piano in wonder, "How did you learn to play?"

"My mother paid for lessons as a child but they were short-lived." Another failed relationship on her mother's part had meant their source of income had temporarily disappeared, naturally, Victoria had been the one to suffer the consequences rather than for her mother to surrender a passion of her own. "Then Conrad purchased this piano for an anniversary gift the first year we were married." Her eyes admired the perfection of the hard rock maple the instrument had been constructed of. "I hadn't played in years but I suppose it's something like learning to ride; that kind of knowledge is never lost." After David's arrest, her interest waned, after his death, she abandoned her love completely but Patrick's reappearance into her life had summoned her back.

"You're very talented," Patrick complimented, "I begged my father to let me learn an instrument as a child but money was always kind of tight. He always encouraged me to concentrate more on my art than diversify into other things, which was probably for the best considering I pursued art into a full-time career."

Silence overwhelmed them as Victoria's mind had quite clearly travelled elsewhere and Patrick patiently waited for her to express whatever troubles plagued her mind. "I spoke with Daniel and Charlotte this afternoon." The holiday season loomed, extravagant decorations brought life to various properties in the area and the annual classic songs bombarded the radio station, and Victoria had been in two-minds as to whether her family were mentally and emotionally prepared for Patrick's arrival into their lives so soon. "Daniel has decided to remain in Paris for Christmas and Charlotte has invited a few of her friends to stay with her in our chalet in Aspen." With two of her children in determined avoidance of an annual Grayson family Christmas in New York, Victoria had left word with Conrad's personal assistant that she would not reside in the Governor's mansion in Albany to witness the holidays with him. "It'll be the first Christmas I've spent apart from them," she muttered, a tinge of sadness behind the words spoken. "But it'll also be the first Christmas we will spend together and I would really like to make it special."

His expression naturally brightened, "Are you sure?" Patrick double-checked, "What if Charlotte makes a last-minute decision to stay home for the holidays?" He refused to raise his hopes so high only to have them crash back down to earth because of his mother's dedication to her other two children. "Or maybe you would even prefer to fly to Paris and join Daniel for Christmas?"

"And be forced to tolerate Daniel's insipid fiancée?" Horror etched itself on her expression and Victoria shook her head in disagreement, "Absolutely not!" Two entire summers with Emily had been enough to drive Victoria wild with frustration, let alone being forced to witness the stomach-sickening affection she exchanged with Daniel, who remained blissfully unaware quite how manipulative Emily had been since the day they had been introduced. She rested her hand upon his and softly smiled, "But I would prefer to fly to Switzerland with you for the holidays!"

Patrick almost choked in repetition, "Switzerland!"

She easily dismissed his wondrous expression, "Conrad and I have owned a quaint little chalet there for years now!" She confirmed, though Patrick seriously doubted that any property the Grayson name could afford could be described as "little" and Grayson Manor was evidence of that. "The last time we made use of it must have been for Daniel's twenty-first birthday!" Victoria reminisced upon happier times for her children, at least.

"I've never been skiing before." Patrick voiced his amazement, still mesmerized by the entire idea. "I've never even left the country before!" His family had been fond of road trips during his childhood and his favourite vacation had been a weekend in Disneyland; despite his enjoyment, none had satisfied his wanderlust heart.

"You'll learn!" Victoria responded to his previous statement, "It's only a couple of hours away from the Swiss Alps!" Victoria proudly described only one of the various properties the Grayson name had afforded across the world, "We can take lessons together!" She kindly offered, though her skiing abilities weren't in any need of improvement after the many vacations she and Conrad had spent with the children in both the Grayson chalet's in Aspen and Switzerland. "Oh, Patrick, you'll just love it! The scenery is breath-taking any time of the year but especially in the winter!" Excitement reeled through her mind as she mentally noted the various activities she could surprise her son with during their Christmas vacation.

"I don't know what to say..." Patrick confessed, almost speechless at the prospect. "I thought there was still trouble at Grayson Global and –"

"If Conrad can afford to host elaborate parties at the Governor's mansion every other week, I am sure he can accommodate a measly vacation in his lavish finances!" Victoria refused to acknowledge his concern. "One thing you should never concern yourself with is Conrad's ability to remain financially afloat, Patrick." She assured, her eyes knowing.

Patrick's upper lip curled into the foreshadow of a smile and Victoria flashed him one full of encouragement, "Well, then I guess I don't have any reason to refuse, do I?"


	14. The Definition of Quaint

Patrick admired the extravagant beauty of the Swiss chalet and eyed Victoria with feigned concern, "We're going to have to review your definition of quaint." His mother exhaled an amused laugh and entertained a waking yawn in the same breath, still lethargic from the ten-hour flight. "This place is really beautiful." He openly commended, as he marvelled at the miles and miles of white mountain landscape which enclosed the chalet. Wall-sized windows permitted a 360° panorama view of their surroundings on the ground floor and pine wood stairs swirled tantalisingly to the various bedrooms on the upstairs second and third floors. He sighed, "I should have brought my canvas with me!"

The regret evident in his voice pleased Victoria, "How did I know you would say that?" She motioned silently to one of the staff, who remained incognito until their services were required, "It was going to be a Christmas gift but I think you would probably appreciate it more right now." Victoria noted, as a young man delivered a canvas and set it beside one of the windows.

"You really do think of everything, don't you?" Patrick shook his head with an incredulous expression, "Thank you."

Her ability to bring him happiness permitted a wide grin to grace her lips as she watched Patrick caress the high-quality wooden canvas she had presented him with. "You're welcome, sweetheart." The morning sun streamed through the windows as dawn started to break after the overnight flight, which had been commercial much to Victoria's openly-voiced displeasure. Patrick had insisted on it, in order to pay for his own flight ticket, and Victoria had to admit that her decision to fly commercial would certainly rid Conrad of any suspicions held concerning her decision to celebrate the holidays on her own. His eyes finally deviated from the newly-made canvas and fell upon the therapeutic rise of steam, which stemmed from a hot-tub installed on the wooden terrace which surrounded the entire building and Victoria followed his gaze to it. "Conrad had it installed a few years back, it's always the first thing Daniel and Charlotte do after the long flight. You're welcome to make use of it anytime!"

The way in which his mother lived baffled him, and Patrick hoped he would never become accustomed enough to the lifestyle for it not to baffle him. She lived like a queen, she had all the regal pretention of one too but she had displayed nothing but a heart of gold toward him. All in all, the woman before him was not the mother he had expected to discover. He folded his arms across his chest, "I wondered about my biological mother from the very day I discovered I had been adopted..." As Patrick continued, Victoria rearranged her dark curls and smoothed her hands to iron any wrinkles out, in an attempt to perfect her appearance for his observation. "...how she looked, the way she walked and talked, how she lived... but my imagination never stretched this far!"

"How did you find out?" Victoria's curiosity prompted the question before her brain could filter.

"That I was adopted?" Patrick double-checked and Victoria nodded her head in confirmation, as they sat beside one another. "I started looking through old family photo albums one day when I realised that I had never seen a picture of me from birth, nor of my mother pregnant, and I asked my father about it. I don't think I was much more than fourteen years old when I discovered the truth. He sat me down and explained that I had been adopted at six-months." He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, "He said he hadn't intended to keep the truth from me but he didn't know when the right time would have been... I don't think he felt comfortable shouldering the burden. He would have felt responsible for my reaction to the news and he couldn't judge it. And he didn't have the answers to the kind of questions he knew I would ask him; the adoption had been solely through social services and the mother was unknown." Patrick recalled the confusion and feeling of pure loneliness he had endured, "The frustration of having so many unanswered questions made everything harder and there were times when I hated him for letting me know the truth." The threat of tears in her eyes matched with the slight pink blush at the tip of her nose – the early sign of an oncoming winter flu – endeared Victoria to Patrick's heart and he deeply exhaled, "But that's all in the past, you know? It's Christmas! Now isn't the time to have any more of those heavy conversations!" His eyes returned to the window, "I think I'll accept that offer to jump in the hot-tub for a little while and relax after the flight. Will you join me?"

She shook her head and rose to her feet, "I should really check in with Daniel and Charlotte and let them know I won't be at Grayson Manor for the holidays should they need to contact me at all." In light of the emotional distance the family had suffered, Victoria didn't even raise her hopes high enough to expect either one of her children to call her on Christmas morning to wish her well but she wouldn't let their expressions of animosity frighten her away from any excuse she could find to communicate with them. "I'll have someone unpack your things for you, too!"

"That's alright, I'm more than happy to do it myself!" Patrick called back, as his mother started upstairs to the master bedroom. "Actually, Victoria..." She lingered halfway and glanced back, "Do you think you could possibly lose the staff?" He requested, "It is Christmas after all, and I had kind of hoped it would be just the two of us here."

"Sure!" Victoria granted, much to Patrick's delight and the delight of the various members of staff, who were silently poised in wait for their next instruction.


	15. It's A Wonderful Life

"Mexican food in Switzerland... now, I really have seen it all." Patrick couldn't help but chuckle to himself, as he carried the empty plates to the kitchen and Victoria poured the remains of the second wine bottle into equal measures in each of their glasses and curled herself into the corner-sofa. With the staff promised payment despite their dismissal for the holiday season, Victoria had suggested they order dinner in from one of her favourite Mexican restaurants in the nearby town.

"We're here to indulge ourselves, are we not?" She replied, carefree, as Patrick filled the dishwasher and wiped down the kitchen sides. Her eyes focused over the rim of her wine glass and she studied his every movement, as she pretended they had known one another his entire life. No doubt, the person she would have become had she remained with him and raised him as her son would have given her much more pride in herself than the woman she had become now. Perhaps that was Patrick's biggest attraction, that he offered her a new slate to become the person she needed to believe she could be and overwrite the various mistakes she had made in her desperation to escape herself.

Quietened by her introspective trail of thought, Victoria inhaled in surprise when she noticed Patrick had appeared behind her with an old photograph placed strategically on the mantelpiece. "Wow!" He expressed his amusement, as he showed her the photograph of herself and Conrad on the ski slope in their earlier years as husband and wife. "You're really rocking that eighties perm, huh?"

She snatched the photograph from him in mock irritation, "Very funny!" Her fingers caressed the frame made entirely from silver; it had been an anniversary gift from Conrad's father to celebrate twenty-five years of marriage but celebration of the milestone had been severely dampened by the revelation of Conrad's ongoing affair with Lydia. "This was only a few months after Daniel had been born," she easily recalled the year the photograph had been captured. "It was the first time we had ever been separated from him longer than a day and I would call home every few hours to check on him." Victoria replaced the photograph back on the mantle above the roaring fireplace and bit her bottom lip to withhold an overwhelming emotion, "Even though it was my decision to give you up for adoption, I still felt as if I had lost you and I had this unending fear that I would lose Daniel too."

Patrick moved forward and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Victoria, you didn't lose me and you won't." She twirled on her heels and wrapped her arms around him in relief, and a little disbelief. "Hey! It's okay!" Fuelled by her intake of alcohol, the tears flowed freely and Victoria buried her head into his shoulder. No matter the numerous assurances Patrick embraced her with, the guilt for the little boy she abandoned would haunt her soul until her death. "Sit down," he cautiously guided her back to the sofa, his hands on her shoulders. "When you made that decision, you were still a child yourself, and I may not know the whole story just yet but there is not a doubt in my mind that you made that decision for the right reasons, so you have to stop blaming yourself. What matters most is the present, the here and now, and right now we're together. Let's not waste time looking over our shoulders thinking about all the memories we missed out on, let's focus on the ones to come!" He motioned to their current surroundings for emphasis of his point, "That's why we're here, isn't it?"

Victoria made a weary effort to compose herself, her breath unsteady with the same panic that would arise whenever she allowed her emotions to overwhelm her usually self-controlled form. "I'm sorry!" She stretched her arm for the tissues on the wooden coffee table and slid her near-empty glass of wine further from her reach. "I think I may have gone a little overboard with the wine," Victoria attempted to make light of the moment, although her head still felt fuzzy and her mind somewhat distant. Not that she didn't appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season with Patrick, but Daniel and Charlotte's open rejection had left an ache in her heart.

"It's alright." Patrick reached for the remote control and started to surf the various channels on the widescreen television while she relaxed back into her more contained self. "Ah, 'It's A Wonderful Life' is on! It's my absolute favourite Christmas movie of all-time!" He set the remote control down, proud in his declaration, as James Stewart's face graced the screen.

"Well, then that's another thing we have in common!" Victoria pointed out, her cheeks now free from any tears.

"I know it probably sounds silly but almost all of my favourites are the classics; there's something about those old Hollywood movies that's just so romantic, even when they're not." Patrick attempted to communicate his passion for the black-and-white pictures and bowed his head in embarrassment, "It's stupid, I know –"

His mother softly smiled at the slight pink blush in his cheek, "On the contrary, I find it refreshing. Much more preferable to the kind of films Charlotte entertains!" An annual tradition, for the previous ten years during the holiday season, had required that the family come together and watch 'Elf' at Charlotte's request. Though, Victoria found the Christmas-themed movie amusing at first-watch, she had quickly tired of it and only continued to watch for Charlotte's enjoyment. "You're an old soul, Patrick." She commented, her eyes filled with an adoring affection.

Engrossed in the performance on-screen, mother and son assumed a deep silence. Darkness started to descend upon the chalet, the dim golden-toned lights and the rich flames of the fire, and even the flashing images on the screen, were all that illuminated the room. The film had almost reached its halfway point when Patrick sensed the full weight of his mother's head fall upon his shoulders, her eyes reluctantly sealed together as she fought her continued exhaustion from the earlier morning flight. Determined not to prematurely stir her from her much-needed slumber, Patrick craned his arm and made a subtle grab for the blanket, which was draped over the back of the sofa, and carefully enveloped her body with the soft material. Half-asleep, Victoria shuffled further into him and repositioned her neck for comfort as Patrick shook his head in disbelief. If someone had offered this kind of prediction for his future, he would have laughed in their face. There had been a certain acceptance that he would never be blessed enough to meet his biological mother, much less know her the way he started to know Victoria. He happily exhaled and contemplated the title of the film; it truly was a wonderful life.


	16. Merry Christmas, Mom

Despite the late hour of the evening, the sky remained tinted with soft shades of red and a dreamy mist as Victoria concluded her phone call with her daughter. "I love you, sweetheart."

As his mother set the phone to one side, Patrick appeared with two glasses of red wine. "I knew she'd call." He playfully remarked with an I-told-you-so expression, Victoria happily accepted the drink. Although Daniel had neglected to make contact and rejected his mother's every attempt since the morning, Charlotte's call had been one Victoria had to wait patiently for due to the time difference. While Charlotte had little interest in why her mother had decided to celebrate the holidays overseas on her own, she had bothered to wish her mother well.

It was almost alienating to think that her Christmas celebration had almost reached its conclusion while Charlotte had barely woken from her slumber and Victoria mourned the very first Christmas spent separated from her daughter, which she also hoped would be the last. "How strange that as our perfect day reaches an end, hers has only just begun... and it has been perfect, hasn't it?" Patrick instantly nodded his head in agreement. That they had remained solely together had only added to the perfection of the first of many Christmas celebrations together. His mother had lovingly woken him with a breakfast tray in bed and they had exchanged gifts beside the fireplace – hers extravagant, his sentimental – in the few hours before they dined at the nearby Gstaad palace for lunch. "And this is just the most precious gift I think I've ever received!" She proudly declared, as she returned her attention to the collection Patrick had hand-created full of photographs of his childhood and his amateur artwork.

Mesmerised by the little platinum-haired boy with an angelic smile plastered on his face in every single photograph, Victoria continued to study the various moments of Patrick's childhood hoping for further clues into the kind of character her son had been and it relieved her to witness such abundant happiness in his earliest years, at least. "Like I said before, there isn't much included –" Patrick shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance to his mother's compliment. "They're all copies of stuff I've been able to keep throughout the years but I've never been someone to hoard stuff." It paled in comparison to the ostentatious gifts his mother had lavished him with but the never-ending smile it provided her excused any discomfort Patrick felt for his lack of financial wealth.

"Don't be absurd!" Dismissing his modesty, Victoria held the album to her chest. "It's wonderful!"

Patrick flicked to the back of the album where various pages were left blank. "With any luck, next year these pages will be filled with pictures of the two of us!"

"I would love nothing more." Victoria murmured, as she kissed his cheek. "Oh, Patrick... I don't know how I had the courage to ever live without you." She carefully closed the album shut and shook her head in reluctant sadness at the lost years between herself and her eldest son. "Because the truth is _you_ were the most precious gift I ever received, or at least, one in three of them, and in my insecure adolescence I rid myself of you." Her body returned to the window to admire the darkening sky and she sighed, "Despite the years we've lost, my faith in you is unwavering and I've found myself able to open my heart to you in ways I would never dream of with Daniel and Charlotte." It was ironic that the one child Victoria hadn't raised as her own had been the one to know her best, to understand her with such ease and effortlessness that there was almost nothing she feared leaving open to discussion. "In the brief months we've reconnected with one another again, try as I might, I didn't have the heart to withhold myself from you for fear of rejection. It's become clear to me that I don't have the strength, nor the will, to return to a life filled with your absence."

"Victoria, what are you trying to say?" Patrick hastily questioned his mother, the forewarning lines of a frown displayed upon his forehead as he interrupted her monologue.

"That I don't think we've ever discussed the long-term future." She honestly replied, "We've never labelled the kind of relationship we have or the one we desire." Nearly four months had passed since Patrick had made his reappearance into her life and still her family remained clueless. Her children had never responded well to the revelation of her secrets beforehand, which was why Victoria had recently become determined to decipher the kind of relationship Patrick desired from her in the long-term. "If life has taught me one thing, it's that expectations are rarely met. What kind of mother you anticipated to find the night you arrived in the Hampton's may be somewhat of a distant truth from the mother you've discovered." Her pupils ping-ponged left and right as she desperately attempted to read his true emotions hidden underneath his blank expression. "And I wouldn't feel the slightest resentment toward you if you were disappointed with that." It was a half-lie in truth; she would feel the most bitter resentment but not at Patrick, instead at herself for not being enough. "Simply put, what I'm trying to say is that, I can't imagine returning to a life without you. Being your mother was and is again one of the greatest joys in my life and I refuse to be relegated to any other position in your life." Ashamed of her demanding nature, she bowed her head and sighed, "I know that makes me the worst kind of hypocrite and it's a selfish request but my love for you won't allow me to stand by the side-lines of your life, Patrick."

Patrick's hand caressed her cheek, his eyes filled with reassurance. "And neither would my love for you allow you to do such a thing." He half-smiled, "I didn't know what kind of reception to expect when I arrived in the Hampton's but I know you would have exceeded every one of them; the way you've welcomed me into your life and embraced me without a shadow of a doubt... you're the only family I have and I don't think I could walk away from that, even if I wanted to – which I don't!" He pointed out, his glass raised beside hers. "So here's to the first of many Christmas'!"

Relieved by his reflection of her hopes for the future, Victoria exhaled the previous panic in her system. "Merry Christmas, Patrick."

Their glasses clinked and Victoria smiled proudly, unprepared for his response, "Merry Christmas, mom."


	17. Bruises of a Different Kind

Patrick's cheeks blushed a beetroot shade of red and threatened purple as his mother tenderly soothed his forehead with an ice-pack. "Victoria, really... I'm okay!" His first attempt to race the slopes had been a dismal effort, which resulted in a painful but, thankfully, minor injury to the head and Victoria hadn't been able to stop fussing over him since the incident.

Still modelling her white ski-suit, her hair pinned up high, Victoria removed the ice-pack and cringed. "Are you sure you're alright? It looks like a nasty cut."

"It's probably the dried blood, it makes it look worse than it really is!" Patrick rose from the sofa and surveyed the damage for himself, "The doctor said it'll heal within a week, remember?" He attempted to dismiss the incident, in order to allow his temporary humiliation to subside. "You don't have to worry so much." Patrick chuckled, amused by her excessive maternal concern. "It's just a scratch." He threw the ice-pack aside and braved the pain, which had faded somewhat in light of the medication prescribed by the doctor Victoria had insisted upon examining him. Unfazed by the incident, Patrick made light of the moment, "Guess we're not all naturals on the slopes like someone I could mention."

Modest, as she always was in reference to herself, Victoria waved her hand in dismissal. "Years of practice!" Her response couldn't have been further from the truth. Ever since they had been married, Conrad had annually jetted Victoria to their chalet in Switzerland in an effort to introduce her to his grand lifestyle but, much to his dismay, Victoria's abilities on the ski slopes proved more effortless than her husband's ever did. "Daniel's a natural, and Charlotte too! Their father, however, not so much." She smirked, still able to picture the various tumbles Conrad endured in his many attempts to impress her and their children. "Conrad's always excelled best in the boardroom."

"What about you?" Patrick questioned, "Have you ever been involved with Grayson Global, or have you been content with just being Mrs Conrad Grayson all these years?"

She started to strip from her ski-suit to reveal a grey turtle-neck and a pair of light blue jeans underneath. "I was in possession of Grayson Global shares before Conrad and I divorced last summer and Conrad often consulted me for my advice in various business deals over the years but I've never had an active position within the company, nor did I require one either. Raising Daniel and Charlotte kept me far more occupied than I predicted and I'm on the boards of several charitable organisations too." She smiled warmly at him, "I'm afraid I'm not a career woman, Patrick."

Patrick's head tilted to the left, "And it never bothered you that you weren't independent from your husband?"

"My mother threw me to the curb when I was only fifteen years old..." Victoria pursed her lips together in contemplation, "And I quickly realised that being independent isn't all it's cracked up to be..." She appeared to withdraw from her reminiscent mode and swallowed the lump in her throat. "When Conrad and I met, I knew he could offer me the security I had longed for. He had a family of his own, wealth that appeared endless so money would never be of a concern, reputation to boot and family was very important to us both, even though I didn't have the ability to comprehend why."

"I guess I can understand that." Patrick empathised, "When you don't have that stable family structure in your childhood, you search to create your own as an adult." He motioned to their surroundings and Victoria overlooked the beautifully decorated chalet, "And it looks like you've done just that, and then some. You should be proud of yourself, Victoria."

"I've been very fortunate." She confessed, though her self-depreciative manner remained obvious. "Even more fortunate that I've been able to share this with you." Victoria pointed out, "It almost makes me sorry that we have to return to the Hampton's." They had been wrapped in their own little cocoon, hidden away from the prying eyes of those desperate to unravel another Grayson scandal. "In fact, Conrad called again and he's requested the presence of the entire family at his New Year's Eve celebration at the Governor's mansion." The disappointment was evident in Patrick's expression but she forced herself to continue with her point. "I hope you understand. Although I would love nothing more than to ring in the new year with you, Charlotte has already confirmed she'll be in attendance and I've already missed Christmas with her –"

"No, of course!" Patrick abruptly interrupted her, "Go! You should absolutely go! I'm sure Daniel will be there and that'll give you the opportunity to reconcile with him."

"Patrick –" Victoria called for him, not convinced by his positive response to her decision.

"Victoria, don't worry about it!" He harshly pleaded, almost in demand that she not pursue a confrontation. "It's just one night, right?" Patrick aired over his momentary disappointment, "And I'll probably be in Times Square myself so we can see one another on New Year's Day instead!" He stifled her concern and rubbed her shoulder, "It's fine." As Patrick excused himself, Victoria watched her son storm up the stairs and into his room, the door slammed behind him, and she cursed the inescapable corner Conrad had bullied her into but, deep down, she knew she could only blame herself. The instability of her relationship with Patrick and her innate gut instinct to keep him to herself had divided her life into two separate entities and Victoria instinctively knew that her children would only react badly to the news of Patrick's arrival, with every day that passed before she clued them in. In that moment, she made up her mind to utilise Conrad's NYE celebration as an opportunity to decipher the state of her family and how receptive they would be to the news of Patrick's arrival.


End file.
